This invention relates to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and, more particularly, to the arrangement, interconnection and configuration of MRI system components which provides an improved, integrated and simplified system.
The following patent references have been considered: U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,426 (Best et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,994 (Ewing); U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,820 (Edelstein et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,046 (Vavrek et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,074 (Kaufman et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,265 (Sugahara); U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,173 (Sasahara); U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,686 (Inoue et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,544 (Ziarati); and U.S. Pat. No. Re 33505 (Vinegar et al.).
MRI systems are well known imaging systems used in the healthcare field for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. MRI systems are installed in hospitals and other healthcare facilities in expensive, custom tailored suites. FIG. 1 shows a typical arrangement and configuration of an MRI system. The typical MRI system includes many subsystems which are developed independently and packaged separately in conventional relay racks or cabinets. Each rack or cabinet is interconnected with the other subsystems by a large number of expensive cables. These subsystems can include RF power subsystems, gradient power subsystems, spectrometer subsystems, power supply and power distribution subsystems, cooling subsystems and auxiliary systems such as motor controllers, temperature sensing and control systems, and shim power subsystems.
Typically, the MRI system is installed in a suite which includes a shielded room, an operator control room and an equipment room. The walls of the shielded room are specifically designed to contain certain electromagnetic fields and radiation generated by the equipment located therein, and to exclude interfering signals. The operator console is located in the operator control room, adjacent to the shielded room, and can include a window to enable the operator to observe the MRI scanner in operation. The equipment room is adjacent to the shielded room and the operator control room and houses the plurality of interconnected subsystems that perform the MRI system functions. The equipment room also includes a power distribution panel for supplying electricity to the each of the subsystems. A cooling system is also needed to cool all the subsystem equipment in the equipment room since the equipment usually generates a substantial amount of heat which if left unattended could interfere with the performance of the equipment.
The prior art MRI systems are complex due to the number of separate pieces of equipment and the number of interconnections needed to connect the data, control and power signals among the various cabinets, the MRI scanner, the patient table and the operator console. Typically, the interconnections are accomplished using expensive cables which are shielded to protect the signals from noise. The system is further complicated because many of the cables must penetrate walls in order to interconnect subsystems that are located in different rooms. For example, the MRI scanner, located in the shielded room, is connected to the Gradient Power Controller, RF Assembly and Spectrometer equipment housed in cabinets that are located in the equipment room. In order to facilitate the connection between the shielded room and the equipment room, a penetration panel is provided to facilitate the connection through a shielded wall, while maintaining the shielded barrier between the two rooms. The use of a penetration panel increases the number of connectors, which reduces the reliability of the MRI system and makes the interconnections more susceptible to noise related errors. In addition, in order to facilitate noise rejection, many of the interconnections are provided with intermediate filters which increases the costs of the overall installation.
The prior art systems are wasteful and redundant because each of the subsystems is independently developed and includes its own power supply. Typically, the redundant power supplies and associated support electronics along with the extensive filtering components generate sufficient heat to require a separate cooling system.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved installation for an MRI system.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved installation for an MRI system in which the various subsystems are integrated onto a portion of the shielded room wall, combining penetrations and eliminating conventional electronic cabinets with separate filters.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved installation for an MRI system which includes an integrated system for controlling the MRI scanner and the scanning process as well for processing the data received which does not require a separate cooling arrangement for each subsystem.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved installation for an MRI system in which the various subsystems are integrated onto a physical assembly sharing a common data bus, control bus, and/or power bus to minimize cabling.